Since starting the Women Who Travel podcast, our mission has been to dissect the realities of traveling as a self-identifying woman today—the good and the bad. Of course, nobody’s travel experience is the same, but for women of color, many of the negative realities are intensified. Members of our Facebook group have been vocal on this topic: Some cited instances of discrimination with the TSA; others described a sense of loneliness upon realizing they are the only person of color in a hotel or restaurant. One member wrote, “I rarely see an advertisement of a woman of color or articles by women of color about traveling around the world.” To continue this conversation felt urgent, which is why we are using our sixth episode of Women Who Travel to discuss why women of color remain woefully underrepresented by the travel industry, and ask, what can be done to bring on change.

Joining us in the studio this week is Jessica Nabongo, founder of the blog The Catch Me If You Can and boutique travel firm Jet Black; Traveler contributor Sarah Khan; and Huffington Post social media editor Rowaida Abdelaziz. All seasoned travelers, they share their own personal experiences about what it means to travel as a woman of color in 2018—from how they first started exploring the world to the anxieties of traveling as a Muslim American today—and call for a more diverse range of faces and voices to appear in our magazines, on our billboards, and across our screens. We also give a shout out to the travel brands that are consciously diversifying themselves, and to the women of color who are pushing for progress within the travelsphere. Taking us over borders and opening our eyes, we believe that travel, at its core, is a political act, and that none of these issues should be ignored.

Thanks to Jessica, Sarah, and Rowaida for the lively conversation. Plus, a massive thanks to Kerrianne Thomas for engineering and mixing. Check back every Monday for the latest installment of Women Who Travel. To keep up with our podcast each week, subscribe to Women Who Travel on the iTunes store and if you have a minute to spare, leave a review—we’d love to hear from you.